MAK-NEWS 31/08/95 (M.I.L.S)

From: "M.I.L.S. - R. Makedonija" <mils@ITL.MK>

Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory

CONTENTS

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 31 August 1995

[01] HANDZISKI RECEIVES US MILITARY DELEGATION

Macedonian Defense Minister Blagoja Handziski received yesterday high military officials of the US European Command, led by General Major Gerald Allen, in charge of planning and policy. They talked about the defining of activities within the 'Bridge to America' program in the last quartile of this year and next year's draft-program.

They expressed mutual satisfaction with the so far carried out activities and the achieved results that reach the level of cooperation with the remaining twelve countries included in the program. Representative of the US National Guard of Vermont, Colonel James Dikovitch met with representatives of the Macedonian Defense Ministry. They agreed to establish close contacts between army teams from Macedonia and Vermont.

[02] MACEDONIAN ARMY HELD MILITARY MANEUVERS ON KRIVOLAK

Macedonian Army units held yesterday military maneuvers with live ammunition at the military polygon Krivolak. The shooting with 14 various weapons was aimed at 180 points. As Colonel Andreevski said, the purpose was to confirm the level of combat readiness of soldiers, officers and units and use of various weapons. One armored unit consisting of tanks T-34 also took part in the training practice. There were also light rocket launchers of a 128-mm caliber, B-1 tanks, mortars of 60, 82 and 120 mm and hand antitank mortars of 60 and 120 mm.

[03] STEPHANOPOULOS REFUTED

Athens media report that Greek politicians disagree with a statement of George Stephanopoulos, Advisor to the US President Bill Clinton, saying that the Greek-Macedonian dispute will be resolved by the end of the year. Greek Prime Minister Papandreu stated that he will not lift the embargo on Macedonia before the other side shows good faith, while spokesman Evangelos Venizelos stressed that Athens' position is well known and will not be changed.

The media also report that, reacting to the NATO air strikes, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) criticized both the Alliance and the Greek Government. "The recent developments confirm that as long as NATO is in the region, as long as governments such as the Greek government tolerate and provide military facilities, for a dirty war, not only will that war continue, it will also spread throughout the Balkans with dramatic consequences in the near future". The KKE called on the government to close the air base at Aktion, which provides support to NATO aircraft, and to terminate Greece's participation in the Western European Union (WEU) naval blockade in the region.

[04] BULGARIAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATS AGAINST GREEK EMBARGO

Bulgaria is interested to see a solution of the Greek embargo to Macedonia. It affects not only these two friendly countries, but the entire situation in the Balkans. The Socialist Democratic Alliance, the strongest opposition party in Bulgaria, announces that Sofia can not any longer silently go over this question, and the Alliance will try to include the question in a general debate for the development of Southeastern Europe. Regarding the recent meeting held in Yanina between the foreign ministers of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, the Alliance said development of alternative corridors such as between Macedonia and Albania is good for Bulgaria.

[05] NEW ROUND OF TALKS WITH COUNTRIES DONATORS

In organization of the World Bank, Macedonian delegation and representatives of countries donators will meet in Paris next week. Out of the several European countries and Japan which have announced participation, only Switzerland and Holland promised aid, $6 million and $8 million, respectively. Nova Makedonija writes a great deal of aid is not to be expected because Macedonia have only recently fulfilled its obligations to the Paris Club of countries creditors. The Macedonian debt has been reprogrammed under Hustons terms, meaning to be repaid over 15 years after a six-years' grace period. The rest of the debt ($74 million), maturing 2 December 1982, is to be repaid within 6 years after a grace period of 1,5 years.

[06] MACEDONIAN STICK EXCHANGE TO BE ESTABLISHED

In Skopje, yesterday, it was decided that a Macedonian stock exchange is to start working next January. On behalf of the Government Securities Commission, Minister Ljube Trpevski handed over the decision to founders of the stock exchange, approving the start of the Macedonian Stock Exchange. The founders are the following 11 banks: Makedonska, Stopanska, Tutunska, Invest, Almako, Export-Import, Komercijalna, Rado- Bank and Balkans Bank from Skopje, Credit Bank from Bitola, Ohrid Bank from Ohrid, along with the savings houses Mladinec, Interfalko, Tat and Tutun and the insurance companies Macedonia and Tabak. The stock exchange is founded with a capital of 1 million DM, and founders are obliged to pay in their investment portion (procentually equal) within 6 months. The stock exchange will be trading with securities.

[07] STATISTIC BRIEFS

In the third quartile of the year, out of the offered 294 business offices, with 20.000 square meters useful space, only 90 (30%) have been sold. The value of the sold estates with a total 6.885 square meters is 16,5 million DM. Due to the fact that all offices are sold with bank-frozen foreign currency at a 15% discount, the sum which will be fictively paid to the account of the state, is something more than 14 million DM. Square meter of a business office soled at an average price of DM 2.398 and the best results in the privatization of business offices were achieved in Skopje.

[08] HEAD OF MACEDONIAN CHURCH TO VISIT NORTH AMERICAN EPARHY

The Head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church Father Mikhail went on a one-month official visit to the Macedonian Eparhy in the US and Canada. Besides taking part in operate sessions, he will attend a great meeting of Macedonians living on the North American continent, organized by the Macedonian Orthodox Church Community at 'Holy Marry' in Detroit, September 2.

[09] FARMERS' UNION ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF STATE PURCHASE OF WHEAT

The Independent Union of Individual Agricultural Producers announced yesterday that in most communities of the Republic only 20 to 25 % of the wheat have been bought out by the state, except in Pelagonija where almost the complete harvest (25 000 tons) was redeemed. The Union complains that redeeming organizations force wheat producers to sign statements that they will accept payment in flour for half of the wheat, and to receive the rest of the money when the Government transfers it to the account. The Union says this is in collision with the government decision to purchase the entire harvest and pay for it by December 15 .

MILS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT:

[10] A ROAD TO UNCERTAINTY

(Vecer, August 31 1995) Reactions of the political public opinion to the letter of Albanians parties in Macedonia to President Clinton, are still not calmed down.

The letter seems to be evaluated as a culmination of disloyalty of ethnic Albanians in Macedonia, regardless of whether it is true that it was a "wrong evaluation given at a wrong moment" as described in the moderate statement of spokesman Djuner Ismail, or whether it is an extremely nationalistic offer for a "human exchange" of people between Albania and Macedonia ( VMRO-MNDS leader Tomislav Stefkovski would reportedly arrange an exchange of 350.000 Macedonians of Albania and 450.000 Albanians of Macedonia). To be quite honest, even a quick analysis of the letter signed by Arben Dzaferi (PDPA), Iliaz Halimi (NDP) and Abdurahman Haliti (PDP) - that is an analysis that does not treat the essential elements of the message to Clinton - reveals a vocabulary that directly offends both the Macedonian state and people.

So while the fact that the letter refers to Macedonia as The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia means that Dzaferi is fulfilling his promise that ethnic Albanians will refuse to identify themselves with Macedonia from a civilian aspect until a "new historical agreement is reached", the fact that Macedonians are renamed in the letter into Slav-Macedonians is surely an open offense of the Macedonian people's national feelings. This fact is of a particular weight, as mutual trust of Macedonians and Albanians was so far based upon elementary respect for each other's feelings.

Anyway, the basic idea behind the address to Clinton was to convince the latter to include the Albanian question into the coming peace conference on former Yugoslavia under "equal principles and criteria". Naturally, this is backed up by a hope that the international factor will come up with a global solution, favorable for the Albanians, just like the same factor has so far "successfully" dealt with the Bosnian question and now, as one can see, it is the Bosnian Moslems are the most satisfied warring party. This is probably why Dzaferi, Halimi and Aliti are hoping that "the international community will eventually cease its practice of supporting nations that incite war conflicts."

Unfortunately, this optimism of theirs is faced with certain unpleasant facts and tragic experiences of some small nations. A dilemma remains open, however - why is it that leaders of Albanians in Macedonia are hoping for improvement of the position of the people they represent if the Albanian question is to be resolved upon " equal principles and criteria".

Are there any chances that the constitutional and real status of Albanians in this country be improved at a conference that would define the same rules of the game for Albanians living in Milosevic's Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia? Or, is anyone really and seriously hoping that the peace process will force Miliosevic to grant the Kosovo Albanians a position even close to the one enjoyed by Albanians in Macedonia?

Dzaferi, Halimi and Aliti ought to be held responsible to answer to such questions even if they didn't consider how much Macedonians could lose at such a debate. Yet, they would apparently have to consider this, because the independence of this state and refusal of any global formulas that would partition Macedonia, should be a vital interest of both Macedonians and Albanians (at least that is what Tirana has been reiterating). Otherwise, there would be those who would rightfully say that Albanians in Macedonia are ready to have open borders at least with Kosovo, even at the cost of losing some of the rights they are now granted under the Macedonian Constitution.

There are still those who will say that this letter is only a means of securing alibi, as the three leaders of Albanians obviously know that the international community will by no means impose solutions for the Albanian question that would upset Serbia considerably or support any secessionist trends in Macedonia. So may be it, that this still does not mean that the communication with the international factor has no impact on the interior situation. Will not the Albanian electorate - supporting their leaders without reserves - ask how is it possible that someone, while claiming that Macedonia must accept Western ways (Dzaferi), asks at the same time the Council of Europe not to admit Macedonia " into this or any other international organization, which was exactly what Albanian MP's did a few months ago. Perhaps here, in the Balkans - where the electorate is not used to question its leaders - political leaders can push their nations into whatever directions they wish. But isn't there after all something like political, or even simply human, responsibility? Ethic Albanian politicians do have a legitimate right to demand a status of a constitutive people, university, autonomy and so on. If it hadn't been so the constitution itself would have not included a procedure for its own changes. They do have the right to hope that there will come time when they will be able to convince their voters in the righteousness of their intentions and that Macedonians have nothing to lose (Aliti). Macedonian politicians, on the other hand, have the right to hope that, once the status of minorities and the overall ethnic relations have improved, the current demands of Albanians will become meaningless. But no one, and that is no one has the right to pus nations into an uncertainty of creating "history"; especially not at these present times when people have had an unfortunate opportunity to see how it is done in these parts.

(end)

mils-news 31 August '95